The London food scene is brutal and we say goodbye to businesses just as quickly as we welcome them.
But one vegan street food trader has been lovingly serving up his plant-based creations in the same spot for more than a decade.
Read more below.
vegan street food
6 Things I’m Going To Try at the Vegan Market This Weekend
As you all know, because I haven’t shut up about it, I’m helping to host a special plant-based food and drink experience this Saturday January 24th, 2026 out at Blackhorse Road, East London.
Veganuary Fest is a collaboration between vegan brewery Signature Brew and food experts Feed The Village from midday this Saturday.
Take a look at six items that have grabbed my attention. I will be investigating further!
Read more below.
Why We Should Support Vegan Market Traders
I spend a lot of my life around vegan markets.
Sometimes it is for work, sometimes it is for pleasure, and often it is a bit of both. Over the years I have come to believe that independent vegan traders are doing some of the most important work in our movement, often without the recognition or support they deserve.
Read more below.
BREAKING NEWS: Hackney Downs in vegan world first
This news is too exciting to keep to myself any longer.
I am thrilled to announce that Hackney Downs Vegan Market is set to become the world’s first full weekend vegan market.
Yes, that’s right. The market will be trading on Sunday as well as Saturday each week!
Hackney Downs Vegan Market has become known for being the friendliest market in London.
Starting as a one-off Festive market a couple of years ago, the market then experienced runaway success as a monthly market and enjoyed attendee numbers in the thousands. The crowd numbers were so good that we had to make the market a weekly event in order to control crowds.
The demand was certainly there so Hackney Downs Vegan Market became the first weekly vegan market in the UK.
Located at Hackney Downs Studios E8, the market has become well known as a destination for the best vegan street food in London. Many of our traders have used the market to springboard into bigger business ventures and we are proud to support independent traders on their journeys.
The popularity of the market means there is immense interest to trade with us and our waiting list currently holds more than 400 traders.
There is only one way we can start to give more traders an opportunity and that is to expand the market into Sunday. Hackney Downs Vegan Market will be the world’s first full weekend vegan market!
We look forward to welcoming you on September 16, 2018 for the first Sunday version of our market and we hope this gives many more of you a chance to spend time at the world’s most-loved vegan market.
Commencing Saturday 15 and Sunday 16, 2018 Hackney Downs Vegan Market will be a full weekend market, opening from 11am until 5pm on both days.
The market will be open every Saturday and Sunday.
I’m not sure where else you need to be each weekend. Our market has got BOTH days sorted for you with burgers, beer, cakes, cheeses, and so much more. Don’t forget that the Temple of Seitan operated TEMPLE GOODS vegan café is on site at the market and open all weekend with brunch, coffee, tea, and gorgeous baked treats.
Stay tuned for more details and follow me (Fat Gay Vegan) on Instagram. This is where I share trader and food line-ups for the market each Friday ahead of the weekend.
Extra note: my second weekly vegan market taking place in Clapham is commencing on Saturday September 15, 2018. Fat Gay Vegan at Venn Street is a 10-stall market running alongside the original Venn Street Market every Saturday. Read more here.
New vegan food business in Croydon
Croydon continues to impress on the vegan food front as it says hello to The Vegan Grill.
The Vegan Grill runs as a pop up street food stall on the Surrey Street Market, Croydon. They sell vegan comfort food including burgers, hot dogs, chips and cake.
You can stop by their stall between Wednesday and Saturday each week.
To keep updated on opening times and other appearances, you can follow The Vegan Grill on Instagram and Facebook.
Now, let’s look at some tasty food!
Vegan food event in London
KERB is a company focussed on organising and hosting large scale street food events around London and the UK.
Their next event that will be of great interest to vegans, especially vegans who like a LOT of food.
Livin’ on the Veg is a showcase of eight vegan food specialists and the twist of this event is that you get something from EACH trader when you buy a ticket. Yes, eight portions of food!
The mammoth food party is taking place in King’s Cross on Friday August 18 and Saturday August 19, 2017. There are different sessions you can book and from what I’ve heard, there aren’t many tickets remaining so be quick.
For £30, you get a cocktail plus ALL OF THE FOLLOWING FOOD:
- Biff’s Jack Shack – double fried jackfruit buffalo wings speared on sugar cane bone with maple bourbon hot sauce, blue cheese, toasted almond kale slaw and a fresh seared peach
- Petare (Bucket List reigning champ!)- Venezuelan ‘chip butty’ arepa stuffed with cassava chips, sweet fried plantain, “feta”, avocado and garlic sauce
- Lemlem Kitchen – Timtimo split pea afro-taco, served on injera with a red cabbage and ginger slaw, and pickled chillies and seeds.
- Eat Chay – Korean BBQ Bahn Mi baguette filled with crispy seitan, mushroom walnut pate, pickled carrots, parsnips and sriracha mayo
- Spice Box – charred makhani-smothered tandoori cauli steak with coriander chutney and homemade pickles on a grilled naan
- Temple of Seitan – fried ‘chicken’ slider in an agave mustard glaze
- Greedy Khao –Thai red curry tofu and butternut squash pillows on soy sesame slaw and hom mali rice
- Young Vegans – chocolate peanut butter mud pie brownies
Can you handle all of this?!
In addition to the food you are swamped with, there will be extra food to buy if you need it as well as a bar and games. It sounds like a whole lot of delicious fun.
Click here to book your ticket.
Extra note: the Saturday sessions of Livin’ on the Veg are on the same day as Hackney Downs Vegan Market. Check out the line up we have for that monthly event here.
Get vegan food in Nottingham
Hey, Nottingham. You extremely fortunate pack of gorgeous people.
You have some tasty looking vegan food right under your snouts. Get into it.
Mocky-D is a street food trader specialising in irresistible comfort food, especially of the seitan variety. Although they do serve dairy (people, get into 2017!), there is plenty of food for vegan diners to chomp on.
Their vegan offerings include burgers, sides and drinks.
You can follow Mocky-D on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram is a great place to check out some food photos as well.
See the exact location of Mocky-D by clicking here thanks to Google Maps.
Ten vegan street food vendors you need to know
London. You are overrun with vegan street food.
With so many choices, it’s a difficult task to know which food business to prioritise.
That’s why I’m here right now to tell you about the following ten vegan street food businesses in the UK capital that you shouldn’t miss.
Let’s get into it.
Over the past few weeks, I have been swamped with messages from people who adore the food of Lazy Boy Kitchen. Everyone wants me to know about this incredible vegan comfort food and I can’t wait to get some in my grubby fat hands.
Always one of the most popular vendors when they trade at my events, Rupert’s Street can’t be ignored due to their gloriously coloured van and tasty, nutritious food offerings.
Club Mexicana are nothing short of vegan street food superstars. The consistently turn out outstanding and decadent dishes. Read about their new residency here.
You can’t write about vegan street food in London without mentioning Temple of Seitan. Even though they now have a permanent shop, they are still ruling every market and event they can make it to.
Always a winner at Hackney Downs Vegan Market, the legendary pie and mash heroes Young Vegans are taking London by storm with food people just can’t get enough of.
With such a gorgeous truck and the prettiest food around, Amrutha has been making a name for itself with mouthwatering food on the go.
Cafe SoVegan can’t get enough praise from some people. After their appearances at Hackney Downs Vegan Market, my inbox is always jam packed with emails wanting to celebrate this gorgeous food business.
I can’t keep up with all of the locations and appearances by Big V London. Their decadent burgers are always a smash hit no matter where they show up and the photos on their account are beyond drool-worthy.
Eat Chay is relatively new to the vegan street food scene but is steadily amassing a huge number of fans. Take one look at their Instagram feed and you will understand why.
The best vegan donuts in London are from Peanut Butter Bakery. This is not open for debate. They have changed the landscape of how we consume dough forever and have upped the game to stratospheric heights. No one can touch them.
What do you think? Are you happy with this list of London’s finest? Who would you add?
Club Mexicana on the move
Superstar vegan street food purveyors Club Mexicana are on the move and FGV (that’s me) has the scoop.
One of the most popular cuisine traders in London is opening a new vegan food stall at food court Dinerama in Shoreditch on Thursday 25th May, 2017.
This is what Club Mexicana had to say when I asked for more details:
We’ve attached the new menu we’re launching – it’s our most innovative and exciting street food menu YET! We’re of course serving a great range of tacos, including our famous Baja To-fish (voted one of London’s top ten tacos by Time Out), Carne Asada (marinated and grilled seitan that squares up to any meaty version head on!) and our new fancy Jackfruit Tinga with pumpkin seed puree. But that’s not all. Due to its massive popularity at Pamela, we’ll be serving our Chick’n Wings, and on the back of huge demand at the FGV market, we’re putting on our Beer Battered Cheeze Fries too. But even that’s not all! Lunchtimes will see us serving up fat, juicy Jackfruit and Fried Chick’n toasted sandwiches.
Club Mexicana told me the London street food has always been a predominantly meaty scene and previously, if you went to Dinerama as a vegan, you went home hungry. But now they’ll be there from Thursday to Sunday each week from midday until late happily feeding vegans and vegan-curious alike!
Shoreditch already had fabulous vegan options and now that it has Club Mexicana in the Dinerama food court, it’s next level. Click here to see the exact location of Dinerama thanks to Google Maps.
Follow Club Mexicana on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Vegan Christmas Market announcement
As you have probably heard, I am teaming up with Hackney Downs Studios to bring London a super-fun and tasty Vegan Christmas Market on Saturday December 17, 2016.
The market is going to be rammed solid with some of the finest vegan food in the country and I’m so very excited to let you know about a few of the attractions.
Please give a warm welcome to the first batch of confirmed stallholders for the Vegan Christmas Market:
Peanut Butter Bakery – adored vegan bakery stall certain to be swamped for their Christmas-themed treats. I’ve heard rumours of Xmas donuts. Follow them on Instagram.
Essential Vegan – always a sold out event for these caterers. Plenty of cakes that fans will be used to with some surprise festive twists as well. Follow them on Instagram.
Battered – this is a Vegan Christmas Market exclusive. The vegan fish and chips truck is driving to the capital ONLY for this event. Be one of the first in London to try their amazing food. Follow them on Twitter.
Temple of Seitan – if you don’t know how incredibly amazing this food company is, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Deep fried done to perfection. Follow them on Instagram.
Rupert’s Street – the unmissable bright yellow truck featuring Emily cooking up hearty winter warmers. Follow them on Instagram.
Mouse’s Favourite – the vegan cheese company taking over London is going to be well stocked with all your festive cheese needs. Bring a shopping bag for this stall! Follow them on Instagram.
That’s it for now. I don’t want to overwhelm you.
We have plenty more announcements to come so be certain to scribble the date in your diary and stay tuned for updates.
You will not want to be anywhere else as one of the best vegan food lineups in the country crash lands in Hackney for one day only.
RSVP to the Facebook event and be sure to invite friends. The event is free entry. It is an outdoor market in winter so please dress warmly.
